Former Sony Exec Claims That Industry Layoffs Aren’t Because Of Corporate Greed

Layoffs in the video game industry have been extremely high in 2024, with an estimated 11,500 workers laid off from companies like Ubisoft, Bungie, and many others. But now, former Sony executive Chris Deering is coming under fire for claiming that these layoffs are not the result of corporate greed.

Deering, who is the former President of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, recently appeared on Simon Parkin’s Eurogamer podcast, My Perfect Console. During his conversation with Parkin, Deering shared his perspective about the massive layoffs that are rocking the industry.

“I don’t think it’s fair to say that the resulting layoffs have been greed,” noted Deering. “If the money isn’t coming in from the consumers on the last game, it’s going to be hard to justify spending the money for the next game.”

There is some truth in Deering’s comments. The recent failure of Sony’s hero shooter Concord means that eight years of development costs are irretrievably lost and the studio behind the game, Firewalk Studios, could potentially face layoffs because of that title’s poor reception. Having made his initial point, Deering proceeded to make additional remarks that may not paint him in the best light.

“I think it’s probably very painful for the managers, but I don’t think that having skill in this area [of game development] is going to be a lifetime of poverty or limitation,” said Deering. “It’s still where the action is, and it’s like the pandemic but now you’re going to have to take a few…figure out how to get through it, drive an Uber or whatever, go off to find a cheap place to live and go to the beach for a year. But keep up with your news and keep up with it, because once you get off the train, it’s much harder.”

Suffice to say, driving an Uber or going “to the beach for a year” aren’t viable options for everyone, especially skilled professionals who have dedicated themselves to this industry. Executives may be able to more easily weather the turbulence in their careers than the rank-and-file workers, but that doesn’t mean they can simply dismiss what everyone else is going through. That’s why Deering is currently being roasted on social media. Warning: There is some very strong language used in the following posts.

The backlash from this discussion may follow Deering around for a long time. But in the interim, no one knows how many more layoffs will arrive in 2024, or when the industry will reverse that trend.